BY DOUG OSWALD
Released
by Universal in 1967, “Tobruk†opens with the feel of a 1960s spy thriller. Rock
Hudson is Major Donald Craig, a Canadian prisoner of war on board a German
transport ship anchored somewhere off the North Africa coast in late 1942. A
group of frogmen surface near the ship and sneak on board with silencers fixed
to their guns in order to capture Craig. The frogmen are led by Captain Bergman
(George Peppard) who reveal themselves to be part of a team of German commandos.
The
commandos take Craig to a German airfield and fly him to a desert landing
strip. They’re unexpectedly greeted by a group of British soldiers led by Colonel
Harker (Nigel Green). It’s revealed that Bergman is the leader of a
German-Jewish commando unit attached to a group of British commandos operating
in North Africa. They secured the rescue of Craig due to his expertise as a map
maker needing his expertise in navigating a mine field and access to the German
occupied port at Tobruk, Libya, so they can destroy it in time for a British
sea invasion.
The
movie is based on an actual, although unsuccessful, attack on Tobruk in
September of 1942 which did include German-Jewish soldiers and fake British
POWs. Just like the actual events, the British commandos in the movie pretend
to be POWs in order to get to their ultimate destination undetected... or at
least in an inconspicuous way that will arouse little attention. During the
journey through the Sahara, the group encounters the German and Italian Army as
well as local horseman seeking money for captured British hostages and aerial
staffing from British aircraft.
Directed
by Arthur Hiller, the movie appears at first glance to be an unusual choice for
the director who would be synonymous with message movies and romantic comedies.
However, interspersed between the usual action and military battle scenes, the
British and German-Jewish commando team deal with serious issues of bigotry and
anti-Semitism with Hudson caught between the two camps as the outsider caught in
the middle as they make their way across the desert.
Hudson
is very good in “Tobruk†and broke away from being stereotyped as a leading man
of about a half dozen very popular romantic comedies to star in more serious
films including heroic military parts in “Tobruk,†“Ice Station Zebra,†“The
Undefeated†and “Hornet’s Nest.†In the 1970s he settled into a hybrid role
which combined elements of his romantic comedies and the heroic leading man as San
Francisco police commissioner in the popular TV series “McMillan & Wife†which
ran from 1971 to 1977.
Peppard,
no stranger to tough guy roles, plays a German soldier for the second time in
“Tobruk†following his performance as aviator Bruno Stachel in the WWI classic
“The Blue Max.†Prior to this he appeared in the WWII adventure “Operation
Crossbow†which was preceded by a string of high profile big budget movies.
Like Hudson, Peppard found success in television with the TV series “Banacekâ€
which ran from 1972-1974. His acting career was hit or miss in the late 1960s until
he landed the lead in “Banacek†and faltered again in the 1970s until he found
success in the popular TV series, “The A-Team,†which ran from 1983-1987.
Nigel
Green is a standout as Col. Harker, the leader of the commando unit. One of the
great character actors of British cinema, Green is memorable in just about
everything he appeared in a career cut short by an accidental overdose of
sleeping pills. He played a similar character in another North Africa set WWII
movie, “Play Dirty,†as Col. Masters.
“Tobrukâ€
features a cast filled with many of the great British character actors including
Jack Watson, Percy Herbert, Norman Rossington and Leo Gordon as well as
American Guy Stockwell and Irishman Liam Redmond included in the mix. Gordon
did double duty in “Tobruk†as screenwriter as well as a rare good guy role.
Released
early in 1967, “Tobruk†is overshadowed by the blockbuster success and
popularity of “The Dirty Dozen†which premiered that summer. “Tobruk,†like
“The Dirty Dozen,†falls into the genre of “Men on an Impossible Mission,†but
doesn’t pack quite the same punch as movies like “The Dirty Dozen†and “Where
Eagles Dare.†The movie comes close with a satisfying plot, terrific
performances and plenty of action. It is violent, to be sure, including an abundance of graphic deaths via
flame thrower which become more a convenient distraction to move the story
along.
“Tobrukâ€
is made-to-order via Universal’s Vault Series and has a run time of 110
minutes. The DVD offers no extras, but the movie sounds and looks very nice
preserving the Techniscope widescreen image. The movie is a welcome addition for
fans of 60s war movies.
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